Colombia Earthquake: Children Need Your Help
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has ripped through western Colombia, causing significant damage across the Pacific Region, with tremors felt as far as Venezuela. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the country in a decade.
So far, 314 people have been reported killed, including children, 4,437 people have been injured, and 226 people are still missing, although figures are likely to keep climbing. Approximately 1.9 million people live in the area considered most affected by the earthquake, and 262,154 people are reported to have been affected.
Save the Children launched emergency response activities just over a day after the earthquake struck, disbursing $400,000 from the Children's Emergency Fund within six hours of the earthquake to kickstart the response. We have established a safe space where children can take part in recreational and educational activities, access mental health and psychosocial support, and receive protection services, including case management for the most vulnerable children. So far, we have reached more than 1,580 people with our activities.
We plan to offer a comprehensive package of support including primary healthcare, education in emergencies, child protection and more.
Donating to our Children’s Emergency Fund (CEF) is one of the fastest and most effective ways to support children affected by the earthquake in Colombia. Our Children’s Emergency Fund means we can act as soon as a crisis hits, and deliver lifesaving support wherever it is needed, when it matters most.
Your donation today can help children receive lifesaving support when they need it most.
Save the Children has started emergency response activities following the earthquake in colombia
How Save the Children Is Responding to the Colombia Earthquake
Save the Children launched emergency response activities just over a day after the earthquake struck, disbursing $400,000 from the Children's Emergency Fund within six hours of the earthquake to kickstart the response.
Save the Children has a field office in Valle del Cauca, one of the departments most affected by the earthquake, and has launched initial activities in the city of Buenaventura, which has been identified as a priority location for response efforts.
Save the Children has established a safe space in a rural area of Buenaventura, providing children with a safe place to learn, play and access mental health, psychosocial and protection support. In a community with no government presence, Save the Children and our local partner, Manglaria, are currently the only organisations delivering assistance. Access has only been possible through our partnership with Manglaria.
We have also distributed food assistance to around 1,200 people across different locations in Buenaventura. We will also begin distributing shelter kits, prioritising areas impacted by heavy rainfall.
A Save the Children health expert has also travelled to Buenaventura to understand the main health needs in communities.
For further details on our response, please see below.
WHY DONATE TO THE CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND?
Save the Children’s Children’s Emergency Fund allows us to respond rapidly when disasters strike.
Having emergency funding available means our teams can start helping children without waiting for funds to be raised for every individual crisis – providing lifesaving support wherever the need is greatest.
Your donation can help us respond to the floods in Nepal and be ready to protect children when the next emergency strikes.
Children can't wait. Please donate today and help us be there for children when they need us most.
Save the Children staff assess the damage to homes and buildings after a powerful 7.4 earthquake hit western Colombia at 07:34 local time on 10 August 2026. The earthquake caused significant destruction across the Pacific Region, with tremors felt as far as Venezuela. This is the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia in a decade. Save the Children has started emergency response activities and is assessing the impact on children and families in affected areas. Save the Children
Colombia earthquake: what you need to know
What's happened?
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10th.
The earthquake caused significant damage across the Pacific Region, with tremors felt as far as Venezuela. It struck on Monday morning, while many families were still home or on their way to school or work.
This is the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia in a decade. The Colombian government has declared a national emergency, calling for funding and support.
The earthquake was followed by 289 aftershocks, compounding risks for affected communities.
What's the situation now?
The situation is evolving rapidly and the scale of the damage continues to emerge as assessment teams work to reach remote and hard-to-access communities, some of which remain cut off by communications and power outages, and damaged roads and disrupted transport links.
We know at least 45,350 homes have been damaged and 26,558 destroyed, raising concerns that many individuals may be trapped under rubble.
Schools, hospitals and other critical public infrastructure have been severely damaged, disrupting essential services for communities. 300 health facilities have been damaged, including many with maternity wards. Water and sewage systems have been affected, meaning access to these services is limited for 824,329 people. Access to food, markets, and livelihoods has been impacted for over 400,000 people, many of whom are already facing hunger and poverty.
Heavy and prolonged rainfall in some of the worst-affected areas is causing additional damage to homes and infrastructure, increasing humanitarian needs and worsening conditions for children and families already struggling to recover from the earthquake.
Damage has been reported across 15 departments, including collapsed buildings in major urban centres such as Pereira, Cali, Manizales, and Quibdó. The earthquake’s epicentre was near San José del Palmar in Chocó department which, along with Valle del Cauca, is the most affected department. Chocó and Valle del Cauca are some of the country's poorest departments, and both face high levels of poverty and insecurity, due to the presence of armed groups. These challenges, along with their weak infrastructure, are likely to exacerbate the impact of the earthquake.
How have children been impacted?
Children are among the most vulnerable following the earthquakes.
While search and rescue operations continue, the full scale of the destruction is still emerging. Initial assessments indicate that children and families urgently need safe drinking water, food assistance, hygiene supplies, education and mental health support, emergency shelter and healthcare.
The crisis has affected access to education for 447,715 children, with 3,074 schools and learning facilities damaged. Of these, 263 have completely collapsed or are at imminent risk of collapse, leaving 75,297 students directly impacted. In some of the hardest-hit areas, including Quibdó, Turbo and Manizales, 9 in 10 students attending affected schools have no alternative learning spaces available, leaving them in need of safe spaces, education support and psychosocial care.
Families who have been displaced from their homes are in urgent need of shelter and essential items, and children will need mental health support to cope with the shock and trauma caused by the earthquake.
What is Save the Children doing?
Save the Children launched emergency response activities just over a day after the earthquake struck, disbursing $400,000 from the Children's Emergency Fund within six hours of the earthquake to kickstart the response.
Save the Children has a field office in Valle del Cauca, one of the departments most affected by the earthquake, and has launched initial activities in the city of Buenaventura, which has been identified as a priority location for response efforts.
Save the Children has established a safe space in a rural area of Buenaventura, providing children with a safe place to learn, play and access mental health, psychosocial and protection support. In a community with no government presence, Save the Children and our local partner, Manglaria, are currently the only organisations delivering assistance. Access has only been possible through our partnership with Manglaria.
Our teams continue to visit communities across Buenaventura to identify suitable locations for additional safe spaces and are working with local authorities to expand access to safe, child-friendly services.
We have also distributed food assistance to around 1,200 people across different locations in Buenaventura. We will also begin distributing shelter kits, prioritising areas impacted by heavy rainfall.
A Save the Children health expert has also travelled to Buenaventura to understand the main health needs in communities. Assessments of health facilities have highlighted major challenges, including damage to infrastructure and overstretched services. In some locations, patients continue to receive treatment in temporary outdoor areas while repairs and recovery
efforts continue. Due to the impact on maternity wards and considering the high birth rates in Buenaventura, Save the Children has begun mobilising volunteer gynaecologists to provide assistance. We are also assessing how we can support mental health and psychosocial services in government-led healthcare facilities, in particular a government-operated hospital ship serving hard-to-reach coastal communities.
At the same time, we are carrying out rapid assessments to better understand the needs of children to inform the next phase of the response. We have teams and partners in affected and nearby areas who are coordinating efforts to deliver support quickly and effectively. We have hygiene kits prepositioned and are working quickly to source additional supplies to support children and families.
We plan to offer a comprehensive package of support including:
- Primary healthcare: triage, initial stabilisation, sexual and reproductive health, and education to help communities prevent disease outbreaks and other health risks
- Education in emergencies: support to help children continue learning, including the establishment of safe spaces and assessing schools to ensure their safety
- Child protection: case management and specialised support for vulnerable children, and distribution of shelter kits to help provide safe living conditions for affected children and families
- Mental health and psychosocial support: dedicated services for children and caregivers affected by the emergency
- Nutrition: breastfeeding support, nutrition screening for infants up to six months, and referral of critical cases to health services
- Water, sanitation and hygiene: distribution of hygiene kits (includes items such as soap, detergent, sanitary pads and toothbrushes), safe drinking water and household water filters
- Cash and food assistance: Cash assistance to help families meet their most urgent needs, alongside the distribution of food kits
We stand ready to expand our response as needs evolve, providing essential relief supplies alongside education and child protection support for children and families most affected by the earthquake.
What was Save the Children doing in Colombia before the earthquake?
Save the Children has worked in Colombia since 1985, supporting children affected by conflict, displacement, migration, poverty, climate shocks and other humanitarian crises.
We operate from our national office in Bogotá and regional offices in the departments of La Guajira, Arauca, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Nariño, as well as field offices. Across these locations, Save the Children works closely with local and national authorities, partners, and with children and adolescents themselves, to promote and protect their rights.
We support children and families through programmes focused on education, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, and livelihoods.
Our long-standing presence, local partnerships, and experienced teams in Colombia mean we are well placed to respond quickly and support children and families affected by the earthquake. In Colombia’s Pacific region, where the earthquake struck, Save the Children has a regional office in Valle del Cauca and field offices in Buenaventura and Tumaco where we have existing programmes in WASH, education, protection, health and nutrition. Currently, Buenaventura is the most affected office and some of the regular activities have been temporary suspended to ensure the safety of children and staff and to attend to the emergency.
